A British psychologist thinks that using video games can be a very effective tool in helping to treat Alzheimer's. Dr. John Harrison, a psychologist in the Department of Medicine at Imperial College, London shared his theories on the topic at the Games for Health Europe conference in Amsterdam this week, according to this Wall Street Journal report.

Harrison says that even though brain-training games have proven to be unsuccessful in treating Alzheimer's, he believes that games designed specifically for Alzheimer's patients may hold some promise in either treating the disease or slowing it down. Harrison said that these kinds of games could help in treating five different areas of brain function affected by Alzheimer's.

At the event he showed off a trailer for a game concept he has put together that would test a patient's "psychomotor skills."

"There are a whole host of things we can embed into a games context that will exercise and test efficacy," he said.